Turn any HDMI TV set into a Miracast receiver with a $59.95 gizmo.

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Microsoft today announced the Wireless Display Adaptor, which will enable Windows and Android systems to wirelessly send their screens to any display with an HDMI input.

One of the new features that Windows 8.1 added, and that most people overlooked, was built-in Miracast support. With the right combination of wireless drivers and video drivers, Windows 8.1 machines can beam their screen over Wi-Fi to Miracast receivers, enabling wire-free, configuration-free connections between PCs and Miracast-enabled TVs and projectors. Windows Phone 8.1 also includes Miracast support; Android has supported the technology since version 4.2.

What has consistently been rare is Miracast hardware on the receiver end. Most TVs and projectors don't support it, so while hardware that supports Miracast broadcasting is becoming quite common (all Microsoft's Surface-branded tablets, except the first generation ARM Surface RT, Samsung smartphones with AllShare Cast or Samsung Link software, new Windows Phones), that hardware has had nowhere to broadcast to.

The solution to this is hardware dongles: Miracast receivers that plug into a TV or projector to make it a Miracast device. Microsoft's Wireless Display Adaptor joins a few other dongles on the market. One end plugs into an HDMI input on your display device. The other plugs into a USB port, from which the adaptor draws power. It provides the bridge between your Miracast gizmos and your nice big TV.

Microsoft's device will cost $59.95 when it goes on sale in October.

This isn't the first Miracast dongle to hit the market. Brand-name devices from companies like Asus and Belkin have been around for a while, and all manner of no-name adaptors are out there, for $30 or less.

In principle, Miracast should be a much better way of projecting content from phones and PCs onto large screens—great for showing off pictures, videos, or presentations. The struggle for many of these has been compatibility; users have found the connections to be stuttery and inconsistent.

This has left Miracast comparing unfavorably to similar capabilities—but incompatible technologies—from Google and Apple. Google's Chromecast hardware lets TVs show various kinds of streaming media and browser tabs, and Apple's AirPlay allows screen broadcasting to Apple TV devices. These both work quite reliably, but unlike Miracast, neither uses common industry standards.

If Microsoft's device manages to work reliably, it could justify its price premium over the no-name competition. If not, it looks rather expensive, and Miracast is likely to remain one of those technologies that, like DLNA, sounds good in theory, but never quite delivers.